British scientists in Newcastle have reported the first confirmed births resulting from a licensed IVF technique known as mitochondrial donation, or pronuclear transfer. Using this method, eight healthy children have been born after combining the parents’ nuclear DNA with healthy mitochondria from a donor egg, dramatically reducing the risk of inheriting severe mitochondrial diseases.
The work was carried out by researchers at Newcastle University, where the technique was applied to fertilised embryos from 22 women at high risk of passing on mitochondrial DNA mutations. The UK has permitted mitochondrial donation under strict regulation since 2015, making it the first country to legalise the procedure.
These births represent the first major real-world outcomes showing that the approach can prevent the transmission of devastating mitochondrial disorders while allowing normal development. Although very small amounts of the mother’s faulty mitochondrial DNA can sometimes carry over, doctors report that the babies show little to no evidence of the serious genetic conditions the technique is designed to avoid.
The results mark a significant milestone for reproductive genetics, offering new hope to families affected by mitochondrial disease and demonstrating that carefully regulated genetic interventions can safely prevent otherwise untreatable inherited disorders.
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